Creating travel plans based on pictorial representations

ABSTRACT

A user interface facility is described. The facility receives an indication that a trip is to be planned for one or more travelers including a first user. In response to receiving this indication, the facility causes to be displayed to the first user a multiplicity of pictorial representations, each of the displayed pictorial representations conveying one or more travel interests. For each of multiplemultiple pictorial representations among the displayed pictorial representations, the y: receives user input selecting the displayed pictorial representation; and, in response to receiving the user input, causes redisplay of the displayed pictorial representation in a manner that visually reflects that it has been selected.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of the U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/901,798 filed Feb. 21, 2018 which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

BACKGROUND

People travel for a variety of purposes, including business meetings,vacations, family events and obligations, charitable pursuits, andeducational opportunities.

A prospective traveler can use computer-based tools to plan a trip, andreserve or purchase its components. For example, a prospective travelercan use a web browser to visit a travel website and select and purchasethe components of a beach vacation to Miami Beach, Fla.

With a conventional travel website, this process proceeds as follows:The prospective traveler chooses and explicitly specifies Miami Beach,Fla. as the location for lodging, and selects sleeping accommodationsfrom those that are displayed in response. The prospective travelerdetermines that Miami Beach, Fla. is served by the Miami InternationalAirport; specifies the Miami International Airport as a flightdestination, and selects particular flights from those that aredisplayed in response. The prospective traveler searches for sailboatcruises and gourmet Mexican restaurants near Miami Beach, Fla., andselects one or more from those that are displayed. After making theseselections, the prospective traveler can use the travel website toreserve and/or purchase the selected accommodations, flights, cruises,and restaurants.

In general, the prospective traveler specifies the above information bytyping text, such as by typing text into fields of one or more webforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a network diagram showing an environment in which the facilityoperates in some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing some of the components typicallyincorporated in at least some of the computer systems and other deviceson which the facility operates.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility topopulate the travel choices used by the facility.

FIG. 4 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a travel choicetable used by the facility in some embodiments to store informationabout travel choices.

FIG. 5 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a travel choicemetadata table used by the facility in some embodiments to storemetadata tags that correspond to particular travel choices.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to populate the pictorial representations used by thefacility.

FIG. 7 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a pictorialrepresentation table used by the facility in some embodiments to storepictorial representations used by the facility

FIG. 8 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a pictorialrepresentation metadata table used by the facility in some embodimentsto store metadata for pictorial representations used by the facility.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to register a new user of the facility.

FIG. 10 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a user table usedby the facility in some embodiments to store information about the usersregistered to use the facility.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to create a new trip to be planned using the facility.

FIG. 12 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a trip table usedby the facility in some embodiments to store information about each tripbeing planned by the facility.

FIG. 13 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a participatinguser table used by the facility in some embodiments to storeassociations between a trip and the users participating in the trip.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to allow a particular user to select pictorialrepresentations representing interests that the user would like topursue as part of a particular trip being planned using the facility.

FIG. 15 is a display diagram showing a sample display presented by thefacility in some embodiments to display pictorial representations to auser for a particular trip.

FIG. 16 is a display diagram showing the display presented by thefacility to allow a user to select pictorial representations in a secondstate.

FIG. 17 is a display diagram showing the display presented by thefacility to enable the user to select pictorial representations in athird state.

FIG. 18 is a display diagram showing the display presented by thefacility to permit a user to select pictorial representations in afourth state

FIG. 19 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a pictorialrepresentation selection table.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to enable a user to curate selected pictorialrepresentations.

FIG. 21 is a display diagram showing a display presented by the facilityin some embodiments to display the pictorial representations selectedfor a trip for the purpose of curating them.

FIG. 22 is a display diagram showing a sample display presented by thefacility in some embodiments to permit the hierarchical selection ofpictorial representations.

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to recommend and book a trip proposal on the basis ofthe pictorial representations selected for the trip by the participatingusers.

FIG. 24 is a display diagram showing a sample display presented by thefacility in some embodiments to present a trip proposal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The inventors have recognized that conventional approaches to enabling aprospective traveler to plan a trip have significant disadvantages.First, the inventors have noted that, for many prospective travelers,the burden of explicitly selecting a travel destination—as well asadditional trip details such as selecting lodging, restaurant, andactivity choices—can be significant. For example, a prospective travelermay prefer a certain type of setting for his or her trip, but may not beaware of destinations that match that setting type.

Further, the user interactions required by conventional systems can bedifficult or unpleasant. For example, in many cases, a user mustpopulate several textual fields of one or more forms, oftennecessitating the use of a computing device that has a large physicalkeyboard and/or a large display. Also, it is often true that thisprocess must be completed in one or more long, contiguous sessions,making these efforts difficult for people to fit into their busyschedules.

Additionally, conventional systems provide few useful tools for enablinga travel planner to collaborate with other people who will participatein the trip about the trip's planning.

In response to recognizing these disadvantages of conventional travelplanning systems, the inventors have conceived and reduced to practice ahardware and/or software facility for recommending and/or arrangingtravel plans in response to the selection of pictorial representationsby one or more users (“the facility”).

The facility includes a visual user interface that presents a series ofphotographs, illustrations, icons, animation sequences, video sequences,or other kinds of still or moving pictorial representations of aspectsof travel. A user who wishes to go on a trip can select certain of thesepictorial representations as a way of expressing interests that s/hewould like to pursue as part of the trip.

For example, out of pictorial representations showing a cactus, amuseum, a snowboarder, an eagle, a beach umbrella, a backpacker, and thestage of an outdoor music festival, the user may select a pictorialrepresentation of a beach umbrella to express an interest in a beachsetting. From pictorial representations showing a house, a hotel, anapartment, a beach cottage, and a tent, the user may select a pictorialrepresentation of a house to express an interest in rental house housingchoices. Among pictorial representations showing a surfer, a fishingboat, a kayaker, a sailboat, a beach ball, and a hammock, the user mayselect a pictorial representation of a sailboat to express an interestin a sailboat cruise activity. From pictorial representations showing ahot dog in a bun, a fish on a grill, a bowl of pasta, an ice creamsundae, a steak, and enchiladas, the user may select a pictorialrepresentation of enchiladas to express an interest in Mexican food. Insome embodiments, some of the pictorial representations presented by thefacility include brands, such as airline, hotel, restaurant, etc.brands.

In response, the facility presents proposed travel choices determined onthe basis of the selected pictorial representations. In someembodiments, the facility selects these proposed travel choices bycollecting metadata tags attached to the selected pictorialrepresentations to specify the travel interests they represent, thenmatching metadata tags in the set with those of travel choices, such asairline flights, ferry sailings train trips, hotel rooms, house rentals,restaurants, sailing cruises, ski area lift tickets and equipmentrentals, etc. The user can either accept these proposed travel choicesand proceed to reserve and/or purchase them, or decline them. Upondeclining, the user can immediately obtain alternative sets of proposedtravel details based on the same pictorial representation selections, orfirst revise these selections to obtain one or more sets of proposedtravel details based on the revised selections.

In some embodiments, a user can review and select pictorialrepresentations during a series of brief free moments in his or her day,across a variety of different devices, such as on his or her smartphonewhile on an elevator, on a tablet while waiting for an oven to preheat,or on their office computer while waiting for the starting time for aconference call to arrive.

In some embodiments, the facility provides a mechanism for curating theset of selected pictorial representations, such as by dragging apictorial representation into a dock to select it, dragging a pictorialrepresentation out of the dock to the selected, double-tapping ordouble-clicking on a selected pictorial representation to change itsweight, etc.

In some embodiments, the facility allows the user who creates a trip toidentify other users as participants (or “participating users”) in thetrip. This enables any of these identified participating users to maketheir own selections of pictorial representations. In some embodiments,the facility displays pictorial representations to all of theparticipating users for a trip in a way that indicates which of theparticipating users has selected each pictorial representation. In someembodiments, the facility provides notifications to the participatingusers for a trip when any participating user takes action, such asselecting or deselecting certain pictorial representations. In someembodiments, these selection indicators and/or notifications aretriggered on the other contributing user's devices in real-time ornear-real-time, such as within 30 seconds, within 10 seconds, withinfive seconds, or within one second. In some embodiments, the facilityprovides an explicit communication mechanism among the participatingusers for a trip, such as for communicating instant text messages,pictorial emojis, etc. among this group of users.

In a variety of embodiments, the facility uses one or more strategiesfor selecting pictorial representations to present to a user. In someembodiments, the facility presents pictorial representations that areresponsive to previous selections by the user that, for example, providean opportunity for the user to reinforce, contradict, or diversify thetravel interests represented among the pictorial representations thatthe user has already selected. In some embodiments, the facilitypresents pictorial representations that are responsive to previousselections by the user to provide an opportunity for the user to narrowthe travel interests represented among the pictorial representationsthat the user has already selected—for example, the user may narrow aninterest in hotels to an interest in boutique hotels; narrow an interestin Mexican food to an interest in fancy Mexican food; etc. In someembodiments, the facility presents pictorial representations in onecategory of travel interests that correspond to the user's selection ofpictorial representations in one or more other categories of travelinterests—for example, in some embodiments, a user's selection of one ormore pictorial representations conveying a mountain setting make it morelikely that the facility will present pictorial representationsconveying skiing and snowmobiling activities, and less likely that thefacility will present pictorial representations conveying museum andbeach activities. Conversely, in some embodiments, a user selection ofone or more pictorial representations conveying the skiing activity makeit more likely that the facility will present pictorial representationsconveying the mountain setting, and less likely that the facility willpresent pictorial representations conveying beach, desert, and citysettings.

In various embodiments, and on various client devices, the facilitypresents pictorial representations in different ways. In someembodiments, the facility presents one pictorial representation at atime. In some embodiments, the facility presents a number of pictorialrepresentations of the time, in some cases an entire screenful. In someembodiments, the facility organizes the pictorial representations in asequence. In some embodiments, the facility organizes the pictorialrepresentations in a hierarchy, into which the user can drill down bymaking successively more detailed selections.

In some embodiments, the facility procures pictorial representations ina manner that is responsive to the metadata tags attached to travelchoices, such as, for example: using these metadata tags toautomatically or manually search photo collections, such as stock photocollections; using these metadata tags to commission new or repurposedphotos or drawings; etc. In some embodiments, the facility procures alarge number of pictorial representations without regard for theirsubject matter—either already subject to metadata tags or addingmetadata tags to them after procurement—and matches them to travelchoices metadata tags as needed. In some embodiments, the facilityinvites its users to upload photos and other pictorial representationsfrom trips planned by the facility, and associates these with some orall of the metadata tags used by the facility to plan each of thesetrips.

In some embodiments, the user creating the trip or other participatingusers can explicitly specify certain criteria for the trip, such asbudget, date range, geographic region or radius, etc. In someembodiments, for each user, the facility explicitly collects or inferscross-trip travel preferences of the user, such as originating city,preferred airline, seat class, and seat location, preferred hotel brand,preferred hotel type, etc.

FIG. 1 is a network diagram showing an environment in which the facilityoperates in some embodiments. The network diagram shows clients 111-113used by users. Each of the clients executes software, such as webbrowsers or specialized application programs, to communicate with one ormore servers 131 and 132—such as servers in data centers—via theInternet 120 or one or more other networks. In some embodiments, theservers and/or data centers are distributed geographically to providedisaster and outage survivability, both in terms of data integrity andin terms of continuous availability. Distributing the data centersgeographically also helps to minimize communications latency withclients in various geographic locations.

While various embodiments are described in terms of the environmentdescribed above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that thefacility may be implemented in a variety of other environments includinga single, monolithic computer system, as well as various othercombinations of computer systems or similar devices connected in variousways. In various embodiments, a variety of computing systems or otherdifferent devices may be used as clients, including desktop computersystems, laptop computer systems, automobile computer systems, tabletcomputer systems, smart phones, smart watches and other wearablecomputing devices, personal digital assistants, televisions, cameras,etc.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing some of the components typicallyincorporated in at least some of the computer systems and other deviceson which the facility operates. In various embodiments, these computersystems and other devices 200 can include server computer systems,desktop computer systems, laptop computer systems, netbooks, tablets,mobile phones, personal digital assistants, televisions, cameras,automobile computers, electronic media players, smart watches and otherwearable computing devices, etc. In various embodiments, the computersystems and devices include one or more of each of the following: acentral processing unit (“CPU”), graphics processing unit (“GPU”), orother processor 201 for executing computer programs; a computer memory202 for storing programs and data while they are being used, includingthe facility and associated data, an operating system including akernel, and device drivers; a persistent storage device 203, such as ahard drive or flash drive for persistently storing programs and data; acomputer-readable media drive 204, such as a floppy, CD-ROM, or DVDdrive, for reading programs and data stored on a computer-readablemedium; and a network connection 205 for connecting the computer systemto other computer systems to send and/or receive data, such as via theInternet or another network and its networking hardware, such asswitches, routers, repeaters, electrical cables and optical fibers,light emitters and receivers, radio transmitters and receivers, and thelike. While computer systems configured as described above are typicallyused to support the operation of the facility, those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the facility may be implemented using devices ofvarious types and configurations, and having various components. Invarious embodiments, the computing system or other device also has someor all of the following hardware components: a display usable to presentvisual information to a user; one or more touchscreen sensors arrangedwith the display to detect a user's touch interactions with the display;a pointing device such as a mouse, trackpad, or trackball that can beused by a user to perform gestures and/or interactions with displayedvisual content; an image sensor, light sensor, and/or proximity sensorthat can be used to detect a user's gestures performed nearby thedevice; and a battery or other self-contained source of electricalenergy that enables the device to operate while in motion, or whileotherwise not connected to an external source of electrical energy.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility topopulate the travel choices used by the facility. In acts 301-307, thefacility loops through each of a number of different travel choices. Asmentioned above, travel choices can encompass virtually every type ofselection made in connection with travel, such as particular flights ortrains, hotel rooms, home rentals, vehicle rentals, guides orinstructors, restaurants, activities, activity licenses, etc. In act302, the facility receives information identifying and describing thetravel choice and how to book it, including a cost associated with thetravel choice. In act 303, the facility creates a travel choice ID touniquely identify the travel choice among other travel choices used bythe facility. In act 304, the facility adds a row to a travel choicetable for the travel choice ID created in act 303 and informationdescribing the travel choice and how to book it including cost, receivedin act 302.

FIG. 4 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a travel choicetable used by the facility in some embodiments to store informationabout travel choices. The travel choice table 400 is made up of rows,such as rows 411-416, each corresponding to a single travel choice anddivided into the following columns: a travel choice ID column 401containing the travel choice ID assigned to the travel choice by thefacility in act 303; a travel choice description field 402 containingtext or other content describing the travel choice; a travel choice costcolumn 403 containing information about the cost of the travel choice;and a travel choice booking information column 404 containinginformation usable by the facility to book the travel choice on behalfof one or more users, either automatically or manually. For example, row411 indicates that a travel choice having travel choice ID 1145 has thedescription “Mexi Maxi,” a cost of $40 per person, and can be booked bycalling the telephone number 786-111-3241.

While FIG. 4 and each of the table diagrams discussed below show a tablewhose contents and organization are designed to make them morecomprehensible by a human reader, those skilled in the art willappreciate that actual data structures used by the facility to storethis information may differ from the table shown, in that they, forexample, may be organized in a different manner; may contain more orless information than shown; may be compressed and/or encrypted; maycontain a much larger number of rows than shown; may be the subject ofone or more indices; etc.

Returning to FIG. 3, in act 305, the facility receives one or moremetadata tags describing the travel choice. For example, the metadatatags may have been attributed to the travel choice at a time before thetravel choice information was received in step 302, or these metadatatags may have been assigned to the travel choice subsequently by thefacility, such as automatically using automatic natural languageunderstanding and/or automatic image recognition; manually using humaneditors, commentators, or microtaskers; etc. For example, for the travelchoice having travel choice ID 1145 shown in row 411 of travel choicetable 400 shown in FIG. 4, the facility may receive the following twometadata tags: food:mexican and food:mexican-fancy. In act 306, for eachmetadata tag received in act 305, the facility adds a row to a travelchoice metadata table for the travel choice ID created in act 303 andthe metadata tag.

FIG. 5 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a travel choicemetadata table used by the facility in some embodiments to storemetadata tags that correspond to particular travel choices. The travelchoice metadata table 500 is made up of rows, such as rows 511-523, eachcorresponding to a single combination of a travel choice with themetadata tag, and divided into the following columns: a travel choice IDcolumn 501 containing the travel choice ID assigned to the travel choiceto which a metadata tag corresponds, and a metadata tag column 502containing the corresponding metadata tag. For example, it can be seenin rows 511-512 that the travel choice in row 411 of travel choice table400 shown in FIG. 4 is associated with two metadata tags: food:mexicanand food:mexican-fancy.

Returning to FIG. 3, in act 307, if additional travel choices remain,then the facility continues in act 301 to process the next travelchoice, else this process concludes.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the acts shown in FIG. 3and in each of the flow diagrams discussed below may be altered in avariety of ways. For example, the order of the acts may be rearranged;some acts may be performed in parallel; shown acts may be omitted, orother acts may be included; a shown act may be divided into subacts, ormultiple shown acts may be combined into a single act, etc.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to populate the pictorial representations used by thefacility. In acts 601-607, the facility loops through a number ofpictorial representations. In act 602, the facility receives thepictorial representation. As noted above, in some embodiments, thefacility receives the pictorial representation in act 602 in response toseeking one or more pictorial representations that embody each of themetadata tags received in connection with one or more travel choices inact 306 shown in FIG. 3. In some embodiments, the facility receivespictorial representations in act 602 without regard for whether theyembody any of these metadata tags.

In act 606, the facility creates an identifier uniquely identifying thepictorial representation received in act 602 among all of the pictorialrepresentations received. In act 604, the facility adds a row to apictorial representation table for the identifier created in acts 606and the data making up the pictorial representation received in act 602.

FIG. 7 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a pictorialrepresentation table used by the facility in some embodiments to storepictorial representations used by the facility. The pictorialrepresentation table 700 is made up of rows, such as rows 711-727, eachcorresponding to a different pictorial representation and divided intothe following columns: a pictorial representation ID column 701containing an ID assigned to the pictorial representation, and apictorial representation data column 702 storing the data making up thepictorial representation. For example, row 711 contains the data makingup the pictorial representation having pictorial representation ID 146.

Returning to FIG. 6, in act 605, the facility receives one or moremetadata tags each describing a travel interest conveyed by thepictorial representation. For example, the metadata tags may have beenattributed to the pictorial representation at a time before thepictorial representation was received in step 602, or these metadatatags may have been assigned to the pictorial representation subsequentlyby the facility, such as automatically using automatic imagerecognition; manually using human editors ,commentators, ormicrotaskers; etc. In act 606, for each metadata tag received in act605, the facility adds a row to a pictorial representation metadatatable for the pictorial representation ID created in act 606 and themetadata tag.

FIG. 8 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a pictorialrepresentation metadata table used by the facility in some embodimentsto store metadata for pictorial representations used by the facility.The pictorial representation metadata table 800 is made up of rows suchas rows 811-829, each corresponding to a different combination of apictorial representation and a metadata tag, and divided into thefollowing columns: a pictorial representation ID column 801 containingthe pictorial representation ID of a particular pictorialrepresentation, and a metadata tag column 802 containing a metadata tagreceived for that pictorial representation. For example, rows 819-820indicate that the pictorial representation having pictorialrepresentation ID 160 is associated with two tags: activity:snowmobilingand setting:wintery.

Returning to FIG. 6, in act 607, if additional pictorial representationsremain to be processed, then the facility continues in act 601 toprocess the next pictorial representation, else this process concludes.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to register a new user of the facility. In act 901, thefacility receives for the new user the user's name, payment information,and traveler information. In some embodiments, the facility receivesthis information directly from the user, such as by displaying a formcontaining fields for this information into which the user enters theinformation, or using the user's permission to retrieve this informationfrom another source where it is already stored. In act 902, the facilitycreates a user ID to identify this user and authentication credentialsthat this user can provide the facility in the future to authenticatehis or her identity to the facility. These authentication credentialsmay be, in various embodiments, a password, a digital certificate, aprivate key, a rotating code, a shared secret, etc. In act 903, thefacility creates a row in a user table to contain the user ID created inact 902, as well as the user authentication credentials, name, paymentinformation, and traveler information received in act 901.

FIG. 10 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a user table usedby the facility in some embodiments to store information about the usersregistered to use the facility. The user table 1000 is made up of rows,such as rows 1011-1015, each corresponding to a different userregistered to use the facility. Each row is divided into the followingcolumns: a user ID column 1001 containing a user ID identifying theuser; an authentication credentials column 1002 containingauthentication credentials to be provided or otherwise used by the userto authenticate himself or herself to the facility; a name column 1003containing a name for the user; a payment information column 1004containing information that can be used to charge the user for trips andconstituent travel choices proposed to the user and accepted by theuser; and a traveler information column 1005 containing information usedto book travel choices for the user, such as passport number, knowntraveler number, frequent flyer program membership, plane seatingpreferences, etc. For example, row 1011 indicates that the user havinguser ID 11111 and the name Jill Henry has provided as paymentinformation a credit card having number 0987 3147 7653 1783 and apassport number of 7438930392.

Returning to FIG. 9, in act 904, the facility provides theauthentication credentials created in act 902 to the user. In someembodiments (not shown), rather than the facility creating these userauthentication credentials and providing them to the user or acredential repository operated for the user, the user creates these andprovides them to the facility. After act 904, this process concludes.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to create a new trip to be planned using the facility.In act 1101, a user creates a new trip, such as by pressing a new tripbutton displayed by the facility, speaking a voice command indicatingthat the user wants to create a new trip, etc. In act 1102, the facilityreceives information about the new trip, such as its budget, start andend dates, geographic scope for the trip, and information identifyingany other users who are participating in the trip and should bepermitted to interact with the facility as part of planning the trip. Inact 1103, the facility creates a trip ID to uniquely identify the tripamong all the trips being planned by the facility. In act 1104, thefacility adds a row to a trip table for the trip ID created in act 1103,together with the user ID that identifies the creating user, and thebudget, start and end dates, and geographic scope received in act 1102.

FIG. 12 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a trip table usedby the facility in some embodiments to store information about each tripbeing planned by the facility. The trip table 1200 is made up of rows,such as rows 1211-1212, each corresponding to a different trip beingplanned using the facility. Each row is divided into the followingcolumns: a trip ID column 1201 containing a trip ID identifying thetrip; a creating user user ID column 1202 containing the user ID of theuser who created the trip; a budget column 1203 containing a budgetspecified for the trip by the creating user; start and end date columns1204 and 1205 containing the first and last dates that the creating userspecified for the trip; and a geographic scope column 1206 containinginformation about the range of geographic locations that are candidatesfor the trip. For example, the contents of row 1212 indicate that thetrip that has trip ID 403243 was created by the user having user ID22222 and has a budget of $12,500, start and end dates of June 1 andJun. 10, 2018, respectively, and a geographic scope that extends to anylocation within 1500 miles of the zip code 97131.

Returning to FIG. 11, in act 1105, for each participating useridentified by the creating user in act 1102, the facility adds a row toa participating user table containing the trip ID created in act 1103,together with the user ID of the participating user.

FIG. 13 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a participatinguser table used by the facility in some embodiments to storeassociations between a trip and the users participating in the trip. Theparticipating user table 1300 is made up of rows, such as rows1311-1315, each corresponding to a particular combination of a trip anda user who is participating in the trip. Each row is divided into thefollowing columns: a trip ID column 1301 containing the trip ID thatidentifies the trip; and a participating user user ID column 1302containing the user ID identifying the participating user. For example,rows 1311-1314 show users having the following user IDs have beenidentified as participating users for the trip having trip ID 342512:11111, 33333, 44444, and 55555.

Returning to FIG. 11, after act 1103, this process concludes.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to allow a particular user to select pictorialrepresentations representing interests that the user would like topursue as part of a particular trip being planned using the facility. Inact 1401, the facility receives the selection of a trip in which theuser is participating. In some embodiments, in response to a commandfrom the user to select a trip for which to select pictorialrepresentations, the facility displays a list of trips in which the useris participating, and the user selects one, such as by touchinginformation about the trip displayed on the screen, speaking informationabout the trip, etc. In some embodiments, if the user is participatingin only a single trip, this trip is implicitly selected without anyadditional user input. In some embodiments, if the user issues such acommand at a time when they are not participating in any trips, thefacility interprets the command as a command to create a new trip.

In act 1402, the facility displays to the user one or more pictorialrepresentations.

FIG. 15 is a display diagram showing a sample display presented by thefacility in some embodiments to display pictorial representations to auser for a particular trip. The display 1500 includes information 1510identifying the trip, including such information as dates, budget, andother participating users. The display also includes instructions to theuser 1520 to select the pictorial representations that best conveyinterests that the user would like to pursue during the trip. Thepictorial representations in 1530 initially displayed by the facilityare the following: pictorial representation 1531 has pictorialrepresentation ID 146, shows a mountain, and has the metadata tagsetting:mountain, and thus represents the interest of a mountainsetting; pictorial representation 1532 has pictorial representation ID148, shows a house, and has the metadata tag lodging:house, and thusrepresents the interest of a house lodging; pictorial representation1533 has pictorial representation ID 150, shows a cactus, and has themetadata tag setting:desert, and thus represents the interest of adesert setting; pictorial representation 1534 has pictorialrepresentation ID 152, shows a beach, and has the metadata tagsetting:beach, and thus represents the interest of a beach setting;pictorial representation 1535 has pictorial representation ID 154, showsa golf club and ball, and has the metadata tag activity:golf, and thusrepresents the interest of a golf activity; pictorial representation1536 has pictorial representation ID 156, shows a plate of spaghetti andmeatballs, and has the metadata tag food:italian, and thus representsthe interest of a spaghetti meal; pictorial representation 1537 haspictorial representation ID 158, shows sushi rolls, and has the metadatatags food:japanese and food:japanese-sushi, and thus represents theinterests of a Japanese meal and a Japanese sushi meal; pictorialrepresentation 1538 has pictorial representation ID 160, shows asnowmobile, and has the metadata tags activity:snowmobiling andsetting:wintery, and thus represents the interests of a wintery settingand a snowmobiling activity; pictorial representation 1539 has pictorialrepresentation ID 162, shows a painting, and has the metadata tagactivity:museum-art, and thus represents the interest of an art musemactivity; pictorial representation 1540 has pictorial representation ID164, shows a bird and binoculars, and has the metadata tagactivity:birdwatching, and thus represents the interest of abirdwatching activity; pictorial representation 1541 has pictorialrepresentation ID 166, shows a taco, and has the metadata tagfood:mexican, and thus represents the interest of a Mexican meal; andpictorial representation 1542 has pictorial representation ID 168, showsa sailboat, and has the metadata tag activity:sailingtour, and thusrepresents the interest of a sailing tour activity.

Returning to FIG. 14, in act 1403, the facility receives a selection ofa displayed pictorial representation. In various embodiments, the usercan perform the selection by tapping or clicking on the pictorialrepresentation to be selected; speaking one or more words associatedwith the pictorial representation; swiping the pictorial representationin a certain direction; etc. In some cases, the user's selection of thepictorial representation connotes a weight assigned to the user'sselection of the the pictorial representation, such as by touching orclicking more times or for a longer period of time in order to attributea heavier weight to the travel interests represented by the pictorialrepresentation. In act 1404, the facility adds a row to a pictorialrepresentation selection table containing the user's user ID, the tripID of the trip selected in act 1401, and the pictorial representation IDof the pictorial representation selected by the user. Act 1404 isdescribed further below in connection with FIG. 19. In act 1405, thefacility displays a (possibly) new set of pictorial representations thatincludes any pictorial representations that have been selected displayedin a manner that conveys their selection. In various embodiments thefacility displays the selected pictorial representations withdifferent-colored borders, different-patterned borders, user face photosor other avatars for the users, etc. to convey the identity/identitiesof the users who selected each pictorial representation. After act 1405,the facility continues in act 1403 to allow the user to selectadditional pictorial representations from those displayed.

FIG. 16 is a display diagram showing the display presented by thefacility to allow a user to select pictorial representations in a secondstate. By comparing display 1600 shown in FIG. 16 to display 1500 shownin FIG. 15, it can be seen that the facility has applied a border of afirst type around the outside of pictorial representation 1634,indicating its selection by the user to whom the display is presented.While the set of pictorial representations shown could have been updatedor otherwise altered in response to the user's selection, as shown inFIG. 16, the facility has not here done so.

FIG. 17 is a display diagram showing the display presented by thefacility to enable the user to select pictorial representations in athird state. It can be seen by comparing display 1700 shown in FIG. 17to display 1600 shown in FIG. 16 that this user has additionallyselected pictorial representation 1741, to which the facility has alsoapplied the border of the first type to indicate selection of thatpictorial representation by this user.

Where a trip has multiple participating users, any of these users mayselect pictorial representations. In some embodiments, pictorialrepresentations that have been selected by one or more otherparticipating users may be displayed to the remaining participatingusers.

FIG. 18 is a display diagram showing the display presented by thefacility to permit a user to select pictorial representations in afourth state. By comparing display 1800 shown in FIG. 18 to display 1700shown in FIG. 17, it can be seen that a different participating user hasselected pictorial representation 1832, to which the facility hasapplied a border of a second type that distinguishes pictorialrepresentation 1832, selected by a different user, from pictorialrepresentations 1834 and 1841, selected by this user.

FIG. 19 is a table diagram showing sample contents of a pictorialrepresentation selection table. The pictorial representation selectiontable 1900 is populated in accordance with act 1404 shown in FIG. 14.The pictorial representation selection table is made up of rows, such asrows 1911-1913. Each row corresponds to the selection of a particularpictorial representation by a particular user for a particular trip, andis divided into the following columns. A trip ID column 1901 containingthe trip ID identifying the trip; a user ID of selecting user column1902 containing the user ID identifying the participating user whoselected the pictorial representation for the trip; and a pictorialrepresentation ID of selected pictorial representation column 1903containing the pictorial representation ID identifying the pictorialrepresentation selected by this user for this trip. It can be seen fromrows 1911-1913 that, for the trip having trip ID 342512, a first userhaving user ID 11111 has selected the pictorial representation havingpictorial representation ID 152 (pictorial representation 1832 shown inFIG. 18), and a second user having the user ID 33333 has selected thepictorial representations having pictorial representation IDs 148 and166 (pictorial representations 1834 and 1841 shown in FIG. 18).

Any of the participating users can continue to view and select pictorialrepresentations for the trip during a period of time, such as until atrip planning end date specified by the creating user, until thecreating user specifies a plan trip command, etc. In some embodiments,the creating user of a trip or any of the participating users of thetrip can curate the pictorial representations selected for the trip,either only their own pictorial representation selections or those madeby any of the participating users.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to enable a user to curate selected pictorialrepresentations. In act 2001, the facility receives the selection of atrip in which the user is participating, or selection of a trip forwhich the user is the creating user. In act 2002, the facility displayspictorial representations selected for the trip selected in act 2001.

FIG. 21 is a display diagram showing a display presented by the facilityin some embodiments to display the pictorial representations selectedfor a trip for the purpose of curating them. The display 2100 includesinformation 2110 identifying the trip, and an instruction 2120 thatpictorial representations can be dragged into a dock 2170 to selectthem, or out of this dock to deselect them. As one example, to expressan interest in sushi rather than mexican food, the user could dragselected pictorial representation 2141 out of the dock into area 2130,and drag pictorial representation 2137 from area 2130 into the dock. Invarious embodiments, the user can use this and/or other user interfacesto perform other curating actions, such as changing one or more weightsattributed to selected pictorial representations (not shown).

Returning to FIG. 20, in act 2003, the facility receives user inputcurating the set of pictorial representations selected for the tripdisplayed in act 2002. In act 2004, the facility adjusts the pictorialrepresentations selected for the trip in accordance with the inputreceived in act 2003. After act 2004, the facility continues in act 2002to redisplay the pictorial representations selected for the trip.

FIG. 22 is a display diagram showing a sample display presented by thefacility in some embodiments to permit the hierarchical selection ofpictorial representations. The display 2200 has information 2210identifying the trip, as well as instructions 2220 to select thepictorial representations that best convey the interests that this userwould like to pursue during the trip. In the display, pictorialrepresentations are displayed under headings each corresponding to a toplevel metadata tag identifying a travel interest conveyed by one or morepictorial representations: a setting heading 2296, a lodging heading2297, and a food heading 2298. Under the lodging heading for the lodgingtop-level metadata tag are two unselected pictorial representations:pictorial representation 2232 representing the lodging:house metadatatag, and pictorial representation 2253 representing the lodging:hotelmetadata tag. Were the user to select pictorial representation 2253 forthe lodging:hotel metadata tag, the facility would add a border topictorial representation 2253 indicating its selection, and displaybeneath it one or more additional pictorial representationscorresponding to more detailed metadata tags that are descendents of thelodging:hotel metadata tag in the metadata hierarchy, such aslodging:hotel-boutique and lodging:hotel-corporate. The facility hasalready responded to the selection of pictorial representation 2234under the setting heading and pictorial representation 2241 under thefood heading in this way. Under the setting heading, the user'sselection of pictorial representation 2234 representing thesetting:beach setting, the facility has displayed unselected pictorialrepresentations 2251 and 2252, representing the setting:beach-ocean andsetting:beach-lake metadata tags. The user can proceed to select one ofthese, in response to which the facility may display additionalpictorial representations corresponding to tags that are furtherdescendents in the metadata hierarchy. In some embodiments (not shown),the facility performs a similar kind of hierarchical prompting todescend subtrees of the metadata hierarchy without explicitly organizingthe user interface in accordance with these hierarchical descents, suchas organizing the pictorial representations in a stream or grid.

After the participating user has had an opportunity to select and/orcurate pictorial representations for the trip, the creating user or adelegate of the creating user can use the facility to complete theplanning of a trip, such as by issuing a command to complete theplanning of the trip by, for example, tapping or clicking on a button orother control, or speaking a voice command to this effect.

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram showing a process performed by the facility insome embodiments to recommend and book a trip proposal on the basis ofthe pictorial representations selected for the trip by the participatingusers. In act 2301, the facility receives input selecting one of thetrips that the present user has created to complete its planning, suchas by choosing information describing this trip from a list of tripsthat the user has created. In act 2302, the facility displays thepictorial representations selected by the participating users for thetrip selected in act 2301. In various embodiments, these pictorialrepresentations are displayed in various ways. In some embodiments, thepictorial representations are displayed in a way that identifies each ofthe users who selected the pictorial representations, such as byapplying differing borders for each user, displaying a face image orother avatar of such users, displaying the selecting users' names inconnection with the pictorial representations, etc. In some embodiments,the display of the selected pictorial representations reflectsdifferential weights attributed to the selected pictorialrepresentations, such as weights reflecting the number of users whoselected each pictorial representation, a total amount of weightexplicitly accorded to each pictorial representation by each user,weights that reflect per-user user influence weights assigned by thecreating user, etc. These differing weights can be indicated in avariety of ways, such as by sizing the selected pictorialrepresentations at a magnification level corresponding to the weight;displaying a number corresponding to the weight in connection with eachpictorial representation, displaying a chart or graph in connection witheach pictorial representation that visually indicates its weight, etc.In act 2303, the facility obtains a set of metadata tags for the tripbased on the metadata tags assigned to the selected pictorialrepresentations. In particular, in some embodiments, the facility firstfilters the pictorial representation selection table by the trip ID ofthe selected trip, then joins this filtered version of the pictorialrepresentation selection table with the pictorial representationmetadata table. For example, based on rows 814, 812, and a 23 of thepictorial representation metadata table shown in FIG. 8, the selectionsshown in FIG. 18 this set of metadata tags: setting:beach, lodging:home,and food:Mexican. Where the selected pictorial representations areweighted, the facility similarly weights the metadata tags it obtains toreflect the weights of the corresponding selected pictorialrepresentations. In act 2304, the facility selects travel choices fromthe travel choice metadata table to propose for the trip. In particular,in some embodiments, the facility does so using the metadata tagsobtained for the trip in act 2303 together with the schedule, budget,geographic range, and any other criteria explicitly specified for thetrip by the creating user. In some embodiments, the facility selects adestination location for the trip as part of selecting the travelchoices, or separately. Where the facility has attributed weights to themetadata tags in the set, it further uses this information in theselection it performs in act 2304. In act 2305, the facility presentsthe descriptions of the travel choices selected in act 2304—togetherwith a total cost for the trip calculated by summing the cost of theselected travel choices—as a trip proposal. In act 2306, the facilityprompts the user to act on the trip proposal presented in act 2304.

FIG. 24 is a display diagram showing a sample display presented by thefacility in some embodiments to present a trip proposal. The display2400 includes information 2410 identifying the trip. The display furthercontains a trip proposal 2480 for the trip, made up of travel choices2481-2484, based on the set of three metadata tags listed above. In someembodiments, the user can interact with these proposed travel choices toobtain additional information about them. For example, the user canhover over, click on, or tap the flight travel choice 2481 to obtaindeparture and arrival times for these flights, seat assignments, etc.The user can interact with the lodging travel choice 2482 to displayphotos and a description of the named private residence. The user caninteract with the food travel choice 2483 to display a menu for theidentified restaurant. In some embodiments (not shown), the constituentcost of each of the travel choices is displayed, either initially, orupon interaction with an individual travel choice. The proposal furtherincludes a total price 2485 for the trip proposal. The display alsoincludes an accept proposal control 2491 that the user can activate inorder to accept this proposal and book the included travel choices; arequest new proposal control 2492 that the user can activate in order toinstruct the facility to propose a new set of travel choices from theexisting pictorial representation selections; and a curate selectionscontrol 2493 that the user can activate in order to curate the pictorialrepresentation selections before proposing a new set of travel choices.

Returning to FIG. 23, in act 2307, the facility responds to theselection of one of the controls for responding to the proposal. If theuser activates the accept proposal control 2491, the facility continuesin act 2308 to book the travel choices selected in act 2304, such as byusing the booking information stored by the facility for the travelchoices in the travel choice table. In act 2309, the facility notifieseach of the participating users of the resulting trip plan, such asdirectly via the facility, via email, via text, via voicecall, etc.After act 2309, this process concludes. In some embodiments, as part ofact 2309, the facility presents a celebratory display—such as ananimation showing fireworks—to the creating user and/or theparticipating users. If the user activates the request new proposalcontrol 2492, the facility continues in act 2310 to perform a perturbedversion of act 2304 and select travel choices for new proposal. Afteract 2310, the facility continues in act 2305. If the user activates thecurate selections 2493, the facility continues in act 2311 to curate thepictorial representation selections, such as in accordance with FIG. 20and/or FIG. 21. After act 2311, the facility continues in act 2302 todisplay the updated set of selected pictorial representations.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that theabove-described facility may be straightforwardly adapted or extended invarious ways. While the foregoing description makes reference toparticular embodiments, the scope of the invention is defined solely bythe claims that follow and the elements recited therein.

We claim:
 1. One or more instances of computer-readable mediacollectively storing a travel planning data structure comprisingmultiple entries corresponding to a trip, each entry of the multipleentries comprising: information identifying a pictorial representationthat has been selected by an authorized user in connection with planningof the trip, wherein the identified pictorial representation representsone or more travel interests, and wherein the authorized user'sselection connotes the authorized user's election to have at least oneof the one or more travel interests represented by the identifiedpictorial representation considered in a selection of travel choices forthe trip, such that the one or more travel interests represented by theidentified pictorial representation can be used as a basis forautomatically recommending travel choices for the trip.
 2. The instancesof computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the each entry of themultiple entries further comprises one or more metadata tags eachidentifying a travel interest represented by the pictorialrepresentation identified by the entry's information.
 3. The instancesof computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the each entry of themultiple entries further comprises information directing a computingdevice to display at least a portion of the identified pictorialrepresentation.
 4. The instances of computer-readable media of claim 1,wherein the travel planning data structure further includes multipletravel choice recommendations automatically determined on the basis ofthe one or more travel interests represented by the identified pictorialrepresentation.
 5. A method comprising: receiving an indication that atrip is to be planned for one or more users including a first user; inresponse to receiving the indication, causing to be displayed to thefirst user a multiplicity of pictorial representations, wherein each ofthe displayed pictorial representations conveys one or more travelinterests; receiving a user input selecting a displayed pictorialrepresentation; and in response to receiving the user input, creating atravel planning data structure comprising: information identifying thedisplayed pictorial representation selected by the first user inconnection with planning of the trip, wherein the identified pictorialrepresentation represents one or more travel interests, and wherein thefirst user's selection connotes the first user's election to have atleast one of the one or more travel interests represented by theidentified pictorial representation considered in a selection of travelchoices for the trip, such that the one or more travel interestsrepresented by the identified pictorial representation can be used as abasis for automatically recommending travel choices for the trip.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, further comprising: in response to receiving the userinput, causing redisplay of the displayed pictorial representation in amanner that visually reflects that the displayed pictorialrepresentation has been selected.
 7. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising: creating a field in the travel planning data structure, thefield further comprising one or more metadata tags each identifying atravel interest represented by the pictorial representation identifiedby the entry's information.
 8. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising: creating a field in the travel planning data structure, thefield further comprising information directing a computing device todisplay at least a portion of the identified pictorial representation.9. The method of claim 5, further comprising: creating within the travelplanning data structure multiple travel choice recommendationsautomatically determined on a basis of the one or more travel interestsrepresented by the identified pictorial representation.
 10. The methodof claim 5, further comprising: for a second displayed pictorialrepresentation not selected by the first user, redisplaying the seconddisplayed pictorial representation in a manner that indicates that thesecond displayed pictorial representation has been selected by a seconduser also among the one or more users for whom the trip is to beplanned.
 11. The method of claim 5, further comprising: determining aweight of the displayed pictorial representation selected by the one ormore users based on a manner in which the one or more users haveselected the displayed pictorial representation.
 12. The method of claim5, further comprising: determining a weight associated with thedisplayed pictorial representation based on a number of users whoselected the displayed pictorial representation.
 13. The method of claim5, further comprising: obtaining a weight associated with the displayedpictorial representation selected by the one or more users; andindicating the weight by sizing the displayed pictorial representationselected by the one or more users at a magnification level correspondingto the weight.
 14. The method of claim 5, further comprising: obtaininga weight and a metadata associated with the displayed pictorialrepresentation selected by the one or more users; weighing the metadataassociated with the displayed pictorial representation based on theweight associated with the displayed pictorial representation; andautomatically selecting a geographic destination for the trip based onthe weighted metadata.
 15. The method of claim 5, further comprising:obtaining a metadata associated with the trip and criteria explicitlyspecified for the trip; and proposing a travel choice based on themetadata associated with the trip and the criteria explicitly specifiedfor the trip.
 16. The method of claim 5, further comprising: accessingone or more metadata tags associated with the displayed pictorialrepresentation selected by the one or more users, wherein the one ormore metadata tags describe one of the one or more travel interestsconveyed by the pictorial representation; and collecting the accessedmetadata tags as the basis for automatically selecting travel choices torecommend for the trip.
 17. The method of claim 5, further comprising:accessing one or more metadata tags associated with the displayedpictorial representation selected by the one or more users, wherein theone or more metadata tags describe one of the one or more travelinterests conveyed by the pictorial representation; collecting theaccessed metadata tags as the basis for automatically selecting multipletravel choices for the trip; and causing each of the multiple travelchoices to be reserved on behalf of the one or more users.
 18. A systemcomprising: one or more processors; memory coupled to the one or moreprocessors, wherein the memory includes instructions executable by theone or more processors to: receive an indication that a trip is to beplanned for one or more users including a first user; in response toreceiving the indication, cause to be displayed to the first user amultiplicity of pictorial representations, each of the displayedpictorial representations conveying one or more travel interests;receive a user input selecting a displayed pictorial representation; andin response to receiving the user input, creating a travel planning datastructure comprising: information identifying the displayed pictorialrepresentation selected by the first user in connection with planning ofthe trip, wherein the identified pictorial representation represents oneor more travel interests, and wherein the first user's selectionconnotes the first user's election to have at least one of the one ormore travel interests represented by the identified pictorialrepresentation considered in a selection of travel choices for the trip,such that the one or more travel interests represented by the identifiedpictorial representation can be used as a basis for automaticallyrecommending travel choices for the trip.
 19. The system of claim 18,the instructions further comprising the instructions to: for a seconddisplayed pictorial representation not selected by the first user,redisplay the second displayed pictorial representation in a manner thatindicates that the second displayed pictorial representation has beenselected by a second user also among the one or more users for whom thetrip is to be planned.
 20. The system of claim 18, the instructionsfurther comprising the instructions to: access one or more metadata tagsassociated with the displayed pictorial representation selected by theone or more users, wherein the one or more metadata tags describe one ofthe one or more travel interests conveyed by the pictorialrepresentation; and collect the accessed metadata tags as the basis forautomatically selecting travel choices to recommend for the trip.